Communications of the ACM
Harvard's Robotic Bees Aim to Pollinate Crops, Search For Survivors in Rubble
Researchers are trying to demonstrate that robot bees can be used to pollinate crops in the absence of actual bees.
Credit: Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Researchers at Harvard University's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) hope to prove within the next few years that it is possible to use robotic bees to artificially pollinate crops. They believe the RoboBees project could eventually serve as a temporary solution for the abrupt disappearance of bees.
Modeled after flies because they have two wings rather than four, RoboBees have been in development since 2012. "They have unique capabilities compared to larger flying robots," says SEAS postdoctoral student Sawyer Fuller.
The carbon-fiber flying robots weigh 100 milligrams, which is the same as a honeybee, and they flap their wings at about 120 beats per second, compared to 200 beats per second for bees. Their small size makes them less expensive to make and more agile than other flying robots, Fuller notes.
Within five to 10 years, the robotic bees also could be used to search for disaster survivors, detect gas leaks, measure micro-climates, and conduct stealth military reconnaissance.
From Boston Business Journal
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